The AMI QT devotionals from Jan. 15-21 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
TAMAR | ANYTHING BUT A PROSTITUTE
Genesis 38:24-30
After three months Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she said, “Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her again. 27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 While she was giving birth, one child put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” So he was named Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out—the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand—and he was named Zerah.
I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve heard Tamar characterized as a prostitute. Tamar was not a prostitute. She, through levirate marriage laws (see Thursday’s QT), was legally entitled to a son from the family into which she was married—first from her husband, then his brothers, and finally her father-in-law. Although it seems icky to us today, this was their custom. Judah was ultimately responsible for Tamar because he brought her into his family and under his covering (remember they lived in a patriarchal society). And he failed (big fat F!) to care for her. He sent her back to her own people to live as a widow (i.e. as a woman who has no one to care for her).
Furthermore, the text doesn’t suggest that Tamar prostituted regularly. If anything it suggests the opposite (v. 21). Instead, Tamar was forced to devise a plan (vv. 12-26) and reduced to disguising herself as a prostitute to have even the slightest chance of bearing a son—a chance to which she was legally entitled. Tamar thus broke no laws. She didn’t sleep around; she slept with Judah. She wasn’t promiscuous; she was strategic. And at the end of the day, Judah honored her by calling her righteous and God honored her with two sons—a common theme in the Old Testament (God honored women by giving what brought the most honor in their culture—children).
Tamar, the discarded Cannanite woman who was brought into this mess of a dysfunctional family and under the covering of a rebellious member of the people of God (Judah wasn’t even following the laws of God in the first place!), risked it all and, in so doing, single-handedly preserved the family line through which the Messiah would ultimately come (see Matthew 1:3).
I would be remiss if I didn’t draw our attention to the themes so freely discussed in this text –namely human trafficking and exploitation and its devastating effects on the vulnerable. If God includes these topics in God’s Holy Text, shouldn’t we be mindful of them as God’s Holy People? God is a God who covenantally loves the broken, people conditioned by and bound up in sinful systems and corrupt cultures, people like you and me. The people of God were (and are) not such because their way of life was perfect or even as God desired. They were God’s because God chose them. That’s it. And God worked within, around, and even against their broken systems for the good of the righteous and for the glory of His name. God hasn’t changed. So may we, God’s people, be His hands and feet in doing likewise in our world today.
Prayer: Gracious God, You have revealed Yourself to us in Your Word, and for that, I am thankful. The Bible is just not only a collection of stories from long ago, it is a picture of how You do life with broken people. Help me to learn from the success and failure of those who’ve gone before me. Make me part of the redemptive work You are doing in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 8
Downward Spiral | First, Judah was a human trafficker—first with Joseph (as he spearheaded Joseph’s sale into slavery—see Gen. 37) and then with Tamar (when he paid to use her body for sex). Second, Judah abandoned his family and married a Canaanite (something Jews were strictly prohibited from doing), a moment eerily reminiscent of Esau’s rebellion in Genesis 28:8. Third, Judah is a dishonorable coward. Instead of taking responsibility for the wicked sons whom he raised, he blames Tamar for their deaths (even though it was God who took their lives due to their evil deeds). And from what we can tell, Judah had no intentions of coming back for Tamar (v.26). Lastly, he was probably less than upright when it came to the ladies. The fact that Tamar devised this specific plan suggests that she was responding to a pattern (whether a pattern specific to him or general to the culture it was likely one in which he participated). What were the odds that Judah, upon seeing a random prostitute at the gates, would ask to go to bed with her? Why would Tamar think he would do this? Probably because she knew what sort of man he was. And Judah proved her right.
Have you ever been in an impossible predicament – where all options seem undesirable? In some ways, this is where Onan found himself. I don’t believe Onan deserves defending (God doesn’t seem to think so either – see v.10). However this story could use some contextualization. As the second of three sons, Onan was entitled to one-fourth of his father Judah’s inheritance (his younger brother receiving the same and his older brother receiving double). If Tamar had a son, that son would be entitled to his father’s two-forth portion. With no heirs from Er, Onan was entitled to two-thirds of Judah’s wealth. And so the predicament—fulfill his legal and familial responsibility of giving Tamar children (see yesterday’s Devotional Thought for more info on this), or be disgraced for refusing to do so.
Judah, Joseph’s jealous brother who spearheaded his sale into slavery, moves away, marries, and has sons. The eldest grows up and marries. Yet he does evil and God takes his life. (We can only imagine what he must have done!) There was a common practice in the Ancient Near East (i.e. back in OT days) called Levirate marriage. In a society where it would have been forbidden for a woman to re-marry outside the clan and where women were utterly dependent upon the men in their family (father/husband/son – in that order) for protection and sustenance, in the event that a woman became a widow but had no sons, her husband’s brother was required to marry her and bring forth a male child. Think of this not only as a way to propagate the family name (which was important), but also as a kind of life insurance policy for the widow— ensuring her care and protection. This is what is happening in the verses above.
Joseph finds himself in such a moment. Things are not going well for him (understatement of the century!). Instead of rising to the place of supremacy over his family, he is descending into servitude in a foreign land.
Years ago, I had a recurring dream of the most amazing song that I could never remember when I woke up. I’m still tempted to think that I have written the world’s greatest song, and I just can’t remember what it is! One journal told the story of a Doctor Holmes who took up an interest in ether (a chemical used as an anesthetic). After administering it to his patients many times, he decided to have his nurse administer it to him so he could better understand its affects. As he went under and found himself in a “dream-like state,” he became fully persuaded that he had “suddenly grasped the key to all the mysteries of the universe,” but once he awoke, he couldn’t remember what it was. So he decided to do it again, and this time, he had his nurse write down the thoughts that came to him. Again, this key to the universe’s mysteries dawned on him; he muttered it to his nurse who wrote it down. When the analgesic effects of ether wore off, Dr Holmes eagerly asked the nurse to read back to him what he’d said. The nurse read: “The entire universe is permeated with a strong odor of turpentine.” He was, to say the least, underwhelmed. I guess some thoughts in our dreams are better left unsaid (and probably also unsung!).
Let’s get to know one another for a moment! What is your favorite color? (Mine is black. Weird, I know.) What is your favorite food? (Mine is steak—medium rare please and thank you!) What is your favorite drink? (Mine is hot tea—I’m really loving all tings oolong these days.) Who is your favorite singer? (Ugh— too tough to choose. I’d have to say a tie between Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, and Sam Cooke). We all have favorites—things that bring us the most joy, things attached to precious memories from our past, things that speak to us in a special way.
The AMI QT Devotionals for January 8-14 are provided by Tina Hsu. Tina, a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.), currently serves as a staff at the Church of Southland, Anaheim, California.
As we are two weeks into the new year, some of us may have already made New Year’s resolutions, while others may still be in the process of making some. In my own reflection, I thought of a few skills and habits I want to build for my own self-improvement, but the Lord also reminded me of resolutions to make for the sake of others—which led me to think about the habit of appreciation.
While serving in China, I was given the daunting—yet privileged—task of preaching on Sundays on a bi-weekly or monthly basis. Before going to China, I remember God telling me that His call for me to serve overseas is an invitation to serve Him in my weakness; and if I was willing to dive into this discomfort, then I could go ahead and commit to going. Though I didn’t know specifically what I would dive myself into, His voice gave me the strength to trust that He would be with me in my discomfort.
This past summer, I visited the elementary school in the countryside of Taiwan that my great-grandfather planted. The building is now a cafe restaurant but the owners kept the atmosphere and design to look like a school. I also learned he was a pianist by training, and he planted the school initially to provide music lessons for children. I loved learning about my family history and was so blessed to visit the historic place.